#tbt: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. The Bartimaeus Trilogy #1. Miramax Books/ Hyperion Books for Children, 2003. 9780786818594. (Own.)

#tbt features The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. This is book one of The Bartimaeus Trilogy in which the chapters alternate between the first-person, foot-noted narrative of Bartimaeus, an ancient Djinni and Nathaniel, the twelve-year-old apprentice who released him, and whose story is told in the third-person. Nathaniel is a prickly, arrogant and unlikeable apprentice magician whose mentor, Arthur Underwood is uninterested at best and negligent at worst. Since Underwood won't teach him properly, Nathaniel sets out to teach himself. He releases Bartimaeus and enslaves him to do his bidding. Barti is magically bound to do so, but seeks to kill Nathaniel at the first opportunity. This alternate universe fantasy is thrilling, suspenseful and often hilarious.